When we were in the Suffa (A kind of verandah at the mosque in Medina where certain poor people lived) God’s mes­senger came out and asked, “Which of you would like to go out every morning to Buthān or al-‘Aqīq (Two wādis not far from Medina where camels were sold) and bring two large-humped she-camels without being guilty of sin or severing ties of relationship?” We replied, “Messenger of God, we would all like that.” He said, “Does not one of you go out in the morning to the mosque and teach or recite two verses of God’s Book? That is better for him than two she- camels, and three verses are better for him than three she-camels, and four verses are better for him than four she-camels, and so on than their numbers in camels.” Muslim transmitted it.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to spend the middle ten days of Ramadan in retirement and devotion (i'tikaf) in the mosque. One year he had retirement and devotion in the mosque (as usual); when the twenty-first night came, and this night when he used to come out his devotion in the mosque, he said: He who has engaged himself in devotion along with me should do so during the last ten days; I saw that night, that was caused to forget it, but I have seen myself prostrating in water and mud on the morning following (that night), so seek it in the last ten days and seek it every night with an odd number. Abu sa'id said: Rain fell that night, the mosque that was thatched building dripped, and my eyes saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) with the traces of water and mud, on his forehead on the morning following the twenty-first night.

Messenger of Allah (SWAS) prayed four rak’ahs at Madinah and prayed two rak’ahs of afternoon prayer at Dhu-al Hulaifah. He then passed the night at Dhu-al Hulaifah till the morning came. When he rode on his mount and it stood up on its back, he raised his voice in talbiyah.

God’s Messenger led us in the Morning Prayer in Mecca and began the Sura al-Mu’minun¹, but when he came to the reference to Moses and Aaron², or to the reference to Jesus³, a cough got the better of him and he bowed. 1. Al-Qur’an; 23. 2. Verse 45 3. Verse 50. Muslim transmitted it.

‘Amir b. Rabi'a said that they prayed the morning prayer behind ‘Umar b. al-Khattab and that he recited slowly in both rak'as Sura Yusuf and Sura al-Hajj (Al-Qur’an; 22). When someone remarked that he must have begun the prayer at break of day he replied that that was so. Malik transmitted it.

Mu'adh b. Anas al-Juhani reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone sits in his place of prayer when he finishes the Morning Prayer till he prays the two rak'as of the forenoon, saying nothing but what is good, his sins will be forgiven him even if they are more than the foam of the sea.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu ‘Umair b. Anas told on the authority of some of his paternal uncles who were companions of the Prophet that some men came riding to the Prophet and testified that they had seen the new moon the previous day. He therefore commanded the people to break the fast and go out to their place of prayer in the morning. Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

those who desire paradise and those who fear hell coming two, three, four and ten on a camel; and the rest will be assembled, hell being with them where they are at midday, where they spend the night, where they are in the morning, and where they are in the evening." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

I memorized from the Prophet (SAW) ten (voluntary) Rak'at - two Rak'at before the Zuhr prayer and two after it; two Rak'at after Maghrib prayer in his house, and two Rak'at after 'Isha' prayer in his house, and two Rak'at before the Fajr prayer. [Agreed upon].

`adada khalqih, wa riḍā nafsih, wa zinata `arshih, wa midāda kalimātih. Glory is to Allah and praise is to Him, by the multitude of His creation, by His Pleasure, by the weight of His Throne, and by the extent of His Words. (Recite three times in Arabic upon rising in the morning.) Reference: Muslim 4/2090.

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “Sonny, if you can keep your heart morning and evening void of deceit towards anyone, do so.” Then he said, “Sonny, that pertains to my sunna. He who loves my sunna has loved me, and he who loves me will be with me in paradise.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe the morning prayer, and the women would go back wrapped in their mantles being unrecognisable because of the darkness before dawn. (Ishaq b. Musa) al-Ansari (one of the transmitters in this chain of narration) narrated" wrapped" (only) in his narration. (No mention was made of mantles.)

When any one of you gets up in the morning in the state of fasting, he should neither use obscene language nor do any act of ignorance. And if anyone slanders him or quarrels with him, he should say:" I am fasting, I am fasting."

‘Allahumma inni as’aluka ‘ilman nafi’an, wa rizqan tayyiban, wa ‘amalan mutaqabbalan (O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision and acceptable deeds).’”

“I heard ‘Umar bin Khattab say: ‘The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘Whoever sleeps and misses his daily portion of Qur’an, or any part of it, let him read it between the Fajr prayer and the Zuhr prayer, and it will be recorded as if he had read it during the night.”

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Should anyone fall asleep at night and fail to recite his portion of the Qur'an, or a part of it, if he recites it between the Fajr prayer and the Zuhr prayer, it will be recorded for him as though he had recited it during the night".

[Muslim].

The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Two angels descend every morning, and one says: 'O Allah, give him who spends something, in place of what he spends.' The other one says: 'O Allah, give destruction to him who withholds".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man heard another man reciting "Say: He is Allah, (the) One" and repeating it. When morning came he went to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and told him about that. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, it is equal to one-third of the Quran."

"I said to Anas on the morning of Arafat: 'What do you say about the Talbiyah on this day?' I said: 'I walked this path with the Messenger of Allah and his Companions. Some of them recited the Talbiyah and some recited the Takbir, and none of them denounced any other."

a woman from Khath'am asked the Prophet on the morning of the Day of Sacrifice: "O Messenger of Allah! The command of Allah to His slaves to perform Hajj has come, while my father is an old man and cannot sit firmly in the saddle. Can I perform Hajj on his behalf?" He said: "Yes. "

I heard Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying: "If you all depend on Allah with due reliance, He would certainly give you provision as He gives it to birds who go forth hungry in the morning and return with full belly at dusk".

[At-Tirmidhi, who categorized it as Hadith Hasan].

"The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Whoever among you wakes up in the morning secured in his dwelling, healthy in his body, having his food for the day,then it is as if the world has been gathered for him.'"

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Going out in the morning in the cause of Allah is better that the world and what is in it. And the place (the size) of a whip in Paradise is better than the world and what is in it."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] There are narrations on this topic from Abu Hurairah, Ibn 'Abbas, Abu Ayyub, and Anas.

This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "(Ribat) Guarding the frontier for a day in the cause of Allah is better than the world and what is in it. And an afternoon the worshipper spends in the cause of Allah - or a morning - is better than the world and what is on it. And the space occupied by the whip of one of you in Paradise is better than the world and what is on it."

This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

This verse was revealed in relation to six persons and I and Ibn Mas'ud were amongst them. The polytheists said to him (the Holy Prophet): Do not keep such persons near you. It was upon this that (this verse was revealed):" Drive not away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening desiring only His pleasure" (vi. 52).

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (saws) about the prayer at night. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Prayer during the night should consist of pairs of rak'ahs, but if one of you fears the morning is near he should pray one rak'ah which will make his prayer an odd number for him.

"The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said the Qunut for a month."- (One of the narrators) Shu'bah said: "He cursed some men." Hisham said: "He supplicated against some of the tribes of Arabs."-"Then he stopped doing that after bowing." This is what Hisham said. Shu'bah said, narrating from Qatadah, from Anas that the Prophet (SAW) said the Qunut for a month, cursing Ri'l, Dhawkan and Lihyan.

Shurayh ibn Ubayd said: Jubayr ibn Nufayr gave me a verdict about the bath because of sexual defilement that Thawban reported to them that they asked the Prophet (saws) about it. He (the Prophet) replied: As regards man, he should undo the hair of his head and wash it until the water should reach the roots of the hair. But there is no harm if the woman does not undo it (her hair) and pour three handfuls of water over her head.

"Indeed, a woman from the wives of the people of Paradise, the whiteness of her shin is visible through seventy garments until her marrow is seen, and that is because Allah, he Exalted, says: As if they are corundum and Marjan. So, as for the corundum, it is a stone that if you were to enter a wire through it, then you polished its cloudiness away, you would surely be able to see it through it."

Another chain reports a similar narration.

Hudhaifah was in al-Mada’in. He used to mention things which the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said to some people from among his Companions in anger. The people who heard from Hudhaifah would go to Salman and tell him what Hudhaifah said. Salman would say: Hudhaifah knows best what he says. Then they would come to Hudhaifah and tell him: We mentioned Salman what you said, but he neither testified you nor falsified you. So Hudhaifah came to salman who was in his vegetable farm, and said : Salman, what prevents you from testifying me of what I heard from the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) ? Salman said: The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) sometimes would be angry, and said in anger something to some of his Companions; he would be sometimes pleased and said in pleasure something to some of his Companions. Would you not stop until you create love of some people in the hearts of some people, and hatred of some people in the hearts of some people, and until you generate disagreement and dissension? You know that the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) addressed, saying : If I abused any person of my people, or cursed him in my anger. I am one of the children of Adam : I become angry as they become angry. He (Allah) has sent me as a mercy for all worlds. (O Allah!) make them (Abuse or curse) blessing for them on the day of judgment! I swear by Allah. You should stop (mentioning these traditions), otherwise I shall writ to ‘Umar.

"I do not know that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) recited the whole Qur'an in one night, or spent a whole night in worship until dawn, or that he ever fasted an entire month apart from Ramadan."

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: One of you who believes in Allah and in the Last Day should not raise her head until the men raise their heads (after prostration) lest they should see the private parts of men.

Jabir b. Samura said that the Prophet used to recite at the noon prayer, “By the night when it covers over”1 (a version says, “Glorify the name of thy most high Lord”, 2 at the afternoon prayer a similar amount, and at the Morning Prayer a longer passage than that. 1. Al-Qur'an; 92. 2. Al-Qur’an; 87. Muslim transmitted it.

[The Prophet (SAW)] used to advance the 'Isha' prayer sometimes and delay it at other times. Whenever he saw the people assembled (for the 'Isha' prayer) he would pray early and if the people delayed, he would delay the prayer. And the Prophet (SAW) used to offer the Fajr prayer when it was still dark.

I said to my father, "You have prayed behind Allah's Messenger (SAW), Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Uthman, and 'Ali. Did they supplicate (with Qunut while standing) in the Fajr prayer?" He replied, "O my son, it is an innovation." [Reported by Al-Khamsah, except Abu Dawud].

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “If someone recites Hā’ Mīm ad-Dukhān (Qur’ān, 44) any night, seventy thousand angels will ask forgiveness for him in the morning.” Tirmidhī transmitted it, saying that this is a gharīb tradition and that ‘Umar b. Abū Khath'am the transmitter is declared to be weak. Muhammad, i.e. Bukhārī, said his traditions were rejected.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “None of you will be rescued by his works.” He was asked if not even he would, and replied, “Not even I unless God covers me with His mercy; but if you keep to the straight path, are moderate, pray morning and evening and part of the night, and earnestly practise moderation, you will reach [the goal].” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

There is never a day wherein servants (of God) get up at morn, but are not visited by two angels. One of them says: 0 Allah, give him more who spends (for the sake of Allah), and the other says: 0 Allah, bring destruction to one who withholds.

The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The religion (of Islam) is easy, and whoever makes the religion a rigour, it will overpower him. So, follow a middle course (in worship); if you can't do this, do something near to it and give glad tidings and seek help (of Allah) at morn and at dusk and some part of night".

[Al-Bukhari].

My brother, Qatada bin An-Nau'man said, "A man performed the night prayer late at night in the lifetime of the Prophet and he read: 'Say: He is Allah, (the) One,' (112.1) and read nothing besides that. The next morning a man went to the Prophet ,~ and told him about that . (The Prophet replied the same as (in Hadith 532) above.)

"Nabidh of raisins would be made for the Messenger of Allah [SAW] at night, and he would put it in a water skin and drink it during the next day, the day after, and the day after that. At the end of the third day, he would give it to others to drink, or drink it himself, and if anything was left the following morning, he would pour it away."

"The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would perform the mid-morning ritual prayer so often that we would say: “He does not omit it,” and he would omit it so often that we would say: “He does not perform it!”

AbuUmayr reported on the authority of some of his paternal uncles who were Companions of the Prophet (saws): Some men came riding to the Prophet (saws) and testified that they had sighted the new moon the previous day. He (the Holy Prophet), therefore, commanded the people to break the fast and to go out to their place of prayer in the morning.

he asked Ibn Umar about the length of the two Rak'ah (before) Al-Fajr. He said: "The Prophet would pray two and two during the night, and he would perform Al-Witr with one Rak'ah. And he would pray two Rak'ah while he was hearing the Adhan [meaning that they were light]."

He who recites in the morning and in the evening (these words):" Hallowed be Allah and all praise is due to Him" one hundred times, he would not bring on the Day of Resurrection anything excellent than this except one who utters these words or utters more than these words.

He would recite Fatihat al-kitab in the last two surahs. Hammam added: He would prolong the first rak’ah but would not prolong the second so much; and he did so similarly in the afternoon prayer, and so in the morning prayer.

A man heard another man reciting "Say, He is Allah, One" He was repeating it. When the next morning came, he went to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and mentioned to him. The man tool it (this surah) as a small one. The Prophet (saws) said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, it is equivalent to a third of the Qur'an.

The Prophet (saws) said: Do not curse the cock, for it awakens for prayer.

He told that the Prophet cursed those who used a living creature as a target. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

“The Messenger of Allah (SAW) cursed women who visit graves.”

“The Messenger of Allah (SAW) cursed women who visit graves.”

"The Messenger of Allah cursed the Muhill and the one the Muhallal was done for."

"Allah's Messenger said [to me]: 'Do not say the Tathwib for any prayer except the Fajr prayer.'" [He said:] There is something on this topic from Abu Mahdhurah. Abu `Eisa said: We do not know of the Hadith of Bilal except as a narration of Abu Isra'il Al-Mula'i. Abu Isra'il did not hear this Hadith from Al-Hakam bin `Utaibah. He said: He only reported it from Al-Hasan bin `Umarah, from Al-Hakam bin `Utaibah. Abu Isra'il's name is [Isma`il bin Abi Ishaq, and he is not strong according to the people of Hadith. The people of knowledge have differed over the interpretation of At-Tathwib. Some of them say that At-Tathwib is when one says "As-Salatu Khairummin An-Nawm, (prayer is better than sleep)" for the Adhan of Fajr. This is the saying of Ibn Al-Mubarak and Ahmad. Ishaq said something different about At-Tathwib, he said: "[The disliked Tathwib] is something that the people started after the Prophet; when the Mu'adh-dhin calls the Adhan and the people are slow in coming, so between the Adhan and the Iqamah he says: 'Qad Qamatis-Salat, Hayya `Alasalat, Hayya `AlalFalah. (Prayer is ready, come to prayer, come to success.)" [He said:] This Tathwib, which Ishaq mentioned, is the one that the people of knowledge dislike, which they innovated after the Prophet. But Ibn Al-Mubarak and Ahmad explained that At-Tathwib is when the Mu'adh-dhin says: "As-Salatu Khairum minan-Nawm, (prayer is better than sleep)" for the Adhan of Fajr. And this is the correct saying, and it is called At-Tathawwub as well, and this is the one chosen by the people of knowledge, and it is their opinion. It has been reported from `Abdullah bin `Umar that he would say: "As-Salatu Khairum-minan-Nawm, (prayer is better than sleep)" for Fajr. It has been reported from Mujahid that he said: "I entered a Masjid with `Abdullah bin `Umar in which the Adhan was called, and we wanted to pray in it. Then the Mu'adh-dhin said the Tathwib. So `Abdullah bin `Umar left the Masjid and said: 'Let us leave the place of this innovator' And he did not pray in it." [He said:] `Abdullah only disliked the Tathwib that the people invented later on.

"One night, Quraish consulted together in Mecca. Some said they should tie him up (i.e., the Prophet) in the morning; others said they should rather kill him; and others said they should rather expel him. God informed His prophet about that, so `Ali spent that night on the Prophet's bed, and the Prophet went out till he came to the cave. The polytheists spent the night keeping guard on `Ali, thinking he was the Prophet, and in the morning, they rushed on him, but when they saw `Ali, God had turned away their guile. They asked, "Where is this companion of yours?" and he replied, "I do not know." They tracked him but when they reached the mountain his tracks became confused, so they went up the mountain and passed by the cave. They saw a spider's web at the entrance and said, "If he had entered here there would not have been a spider's web at the entrance." He stayed in it for three nights. Ahmad transmitted it.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Talha that at-Tufayl ibn Ubayy ibn Kab told him that he visited Abdullah ibn Umar one morning and went out with him to the market, and when they were out, Abdullah ibn Umar did not pass by anyone selling poor merchandise or selling commodities or a needy person or anyone but that he greeted them.

At-Tufayl said, "I came to Abdullah ibn Umar one day and he asked me to follow him to the market. I said to him, 'What will you do in the market if you will not stop to sell nor seek any goods or barter with them or sit in any of the assemblies or market?' Abdullah ibn Umar said that we should sit down and talk, and then he explained, 'Abu Batni, (lit. father of the belly, at- Tufayl had a prominent stomach), we go out in the morning only for the sake of the greeting. We greet whomever we meet.' "

Abu Bakr asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Teach me some words so that I may recite them in the morning and in the evening." The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Recite these words: 'Allahumma fatiras-samawati wal-ardi, 'alimal-ghaibi wash-shahadati, Rabba kulli shai'in wa malikahu. Ash- hadu an la ilaha illa Anta, a'udhu bika min sharri nafsi, wa sharrish- Shaitani wa shirkihi (O Allah! Creator of the heavens and the earth! Knower of the hidden and the exposed! Rubb of everything and every one. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but You. I seek Your Protection from the evil of my own self from the evil of Satan and from the evil of Shirk to which he calls)."' The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) added: "Recite these words in the morning and the evening and when you go to bed."

[Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi].

When the Messenger of Allah (saws) intended to observe I'tikaf, he prayed the fajr prayer and then entered his place of seclusion. Once he intended to observe I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan. She said: He ordered to pitch a tent for him, and it was pitched. She said: The other wives of the Prophet (saws) also ordered to pitch tents for them and they were pitched. When he offered the fajr prayer, he saw the tents, and said: What is this ? Did you intend to do an act of virtue ? She said: He then ordered to demolish his tent, and it was demolished. Then his wives also ordered to demolish their tents and they were demolished. He then postponed I'tikaf till the first ten days, that is of Shawwal.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Ibn Ishaq and al-Auza'i from Yahya b. Sa'id in a similar manner, and Malik narrated it from Yahya b. Sa'id, saying: He observed I'tikaf during twenty days of Shawwal.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) offered the morning prayer. When he finished it, he stood up and said three times: False witness has been made equivalent to attributing a partner to Allah. He then recited: "So avoid the abomination of idols and avoid speaking falsehood as people pure of faith to Allah, not associating anything with Him.

I came to the Prophet (saws) and I had long hair. When the Messenger of Allah (saws) saw me, he said: Evil, evil! He said: I then returned and cut them off. I then came to him in the morning. He said (to me): I did not intend to do evil to you. This is much better.

The Prophet (saws) said: If anyone says in the morning: "O Allah! whatever favour has come to me, it comes from Thee alone Who has no partner; to Thee praise is due and thanksgiving,'! he will have expressed full thanksgiving for the day; and if anyone says the same in the evening, he will have expressed full thanksgiving for the night.

Al-Hasan reported that a man ordered one of his slaves to draw water using one of his camels and the man fell asleep. The master came with a torch and put it in his face and the slave fell into the well. In the morning, the slave went to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and 'Umar saw what had happened to his slave and therefore 'Umar set him free."

The mother of the believers, Hafsah (RAA) narrated that The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) said, “Whoever does not form his intention to fast before to fajr, his fasting will not be accepted.” Related by the five Imams, but At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i consider it to be related by Hafsah and not connected to the Prophet (P.B.U.H.). Imam Ad-Daraqutni transmitted, "No fasting is accepted for one who does not form the intention (to fast) the night before.”

) "She should sit in a tub, and if she sees yellowness appearing (on top of the water) she should wash (three times), once for the Dhuhr and Asr prayers, and once for the Maghrib and Isha prayers, and once for the Fajr prayer, and she should then perform ablution in between those times."

Allāhumma innī as'aluka `ilman nāfi`a, wa rizqan ṭayyiba, wa `amalan mutaqabbala. O Allah, I ask You for knowledge that is of benefit, a good provision, and deeds that will be accepted. (Recite in Arabic upon rising in the morning.) Reference: Ibn As-Sunni, no. 54, Ibn Majah no. 925. Its chain of transmission is good (Hasan), Ibn Al-Qayyim 2/375.

"I cannot count how many times I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) reciting in the two rakʿahs after Maghrib and the two rakʿahs before Salat al-Fajr: Qul yā ayyuhal kāfirūn (Sūrat al-Kāfirūn), and Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad (Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ).” Reference: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 431.

He who prayed the morning prayer (in congregation) he is in fact under the protection of Allah. And it can never happen that Allah should demand anything from you in connection with the protection (that He guarantees) and one should not get it. He would then throw him in the fire of Hell.

Prayer during the night should consist of pairs of rak'ahs, but if one of you fears morning is near, he should pray one rak'ah which will make his prayer an odd number for him.

"The Messenger of Allah said to me: 'O Abu Dharr! For you to come out in the morning and learn one Verse from the Book of Allah is better for you than praying one hundred Rak'ah, and for you to come out and learn a matter of knowledge, whether it is acted upon or not, is better for you than praying one thousand Rak'ah.'"

“Abu Usaid As-Sa'idi invited the Messenger of Allah to his wedding, and the bride herself served them. She said: 'Do you know what I gave the Messenger of Allah to drink? I had soaked some dates the night before, then in the morning I strained them and gave him that water to drink.' ”

“The Adhan of Bilal should not prevent anyone of you from eating Suhur, for he gives the Adhan to alert those among you who are asleep, and so that anyone who is praying can prepare himself for fasting. The Fajr does not come in this manner, rather it comes in this manner, and it appears along the horizon.”

“A man died whom the Messenger of Allah (SAW) used to visit, and they buried him at night. When morning came, they told him. He said: ‘What kept you from telling me?’ They said: ‘It was night and it was dark, and we did not like to cause you any inconvenience.’ Then he went to the grave and offered the funeral prayer for him.”

"Prayer in congregation is twenty-five times more virtuous than the prayer of any one of you offered on his own. The angels of the night and the day meet at Fajr prayer. Recite if you wish: Verily, the recitation of the Qur'an in the early dawn is ever witnessed."[1] [1]Al-Isra' 17:78.

" A listener listened to our praising Allah (for) His goodly trial of us. Our Lord! acompany us, guard us and bestow upon us Thy grace. I am seeker of refuge in Allah from the Fire."

The time of the Zuhr prayer is as along as the time of the 'Asr prayer has not come; the time of the Asr prayer is as long as the sun has not become yellow ; the time of the Maghrib prayer is as long as the twilight has not ended; the time of the Isha prayer is up to midnight; and the time of the Fajr prayer is as long as the sun has not risen.

I never remained behind Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) from any expedition which he undertook except the Battle of Tabuk and that of the Battle of Badr. So far as the Battle of Badr is concerned, nobody was blamed for remaining behind as Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and the Muslims (did not set out for attack but for waylaying) the caravan of the Quraish, but it was Allah Who made them confront their enemies without their intention (to do so). I had the honour to be with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on the night of 'Aqaba when we pledged our allegiance to Islam and it was more dear to me than my participation in the Battle of Badr, although Badr was more popular amongst people as compared with that (Tabuk). And this is my story of remaining back from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk. Never did I possess means enough and (my circumstances) more favourable than at the occasion of this expedition. And, by Allah, I had never before this expedition simultaneously in my possession two rides. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) set out for this expedition in extremely hot season; the journey was long and the land (which he and his army had to cover) was waterless and he had to confront a large army, so he informed the Muslims about the actual situation (they had to face), so that they should adequately equip themselves for this expedition, and he also told them the destination where he intended to go. And the Muslims who accompanied Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) at that time were large in numbers but there was no proper record of them. Ka'b (further) said: Few were the persons who wanted to absent themselves, and were under the impression that they could easily conceal themselves (and thus remain undetected) until revelations from Allah, the Exalted and Glorious (descended in connection with them). And Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) set out on an expedition when the fruits were ripe and their shadows had been lengthened. I had weakness for them and it was during this season that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) made preparations and the Muslims too along with them. I also set out in the morning so that I should make preparations along with them but I came back and did nothing and said to myself: I have means enough (to make preparations) as soon as I like. And I went on doing this (postponing my preparations) until people were about to depart and it was in the morning that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) set out and the Muslims too along with him, but I made no preparations. I went early in the morning and came back, but I made no decision. I continued to do so until they (the Muslims) hastened and covered a good deal of distance. I also made up my mind to march on and to meet them. Would that I had done that but perhaps it was not destined for me. After the departure of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as I went out amongst people, I was shocked to find that I did not find anyone like me but people who were labelled as hypocrites or the people whom Allah granted exemption because of their incapacity and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) took no notice of me until he had reached Tabuk. (One day as he was sitting amongst the people in Tabuk) he said: What has happened to Ka'b b. Malik? A person from Banu' Salama said: Allah's Messenger, the (beauty) of his cloak and his appreciation of his sides have allured him and he was thus detained. Mua'dh b. Jabal said: Woe be upon that what you contend. Allah's Messenger, by Allah, we know nothing about him but good. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), however, kept quiet. It was during that time that he (the Holy Prophet) saw a person (dressed in all white (garment) shattering the illusion of eye (mirage). Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: May he be Abu Khaithama and, lo, it was Abu Khaithama al-Ansari and he was that person who contributed a sa' of dates and was scoffed at by the hypocrites. Ka'b b. Malik farther said: When this news reached me that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was on his way back from Tabuk I was greatly perturbed. I thought of fabricating false stories and asked myself how I would save myself from his anger on the following day. In this connection, I sought the help of every prudent man from amongst the members of my family and when it was said to me that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was about to arrive, all the false ideas banished (from my mind) and I came to the conclusion that nothing could save me but the telling of truth, so I decided to speak the truth and it was in the morning that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) arrived (in Medina). And it was his habit that as he came back from a journey he first went to the mosque and observed two Rak'ahs of nafl prayer (as a mark of gratitude) and then sat amongst people. And as he did that, those who had remained behind him began to put forward their excuses and take an oath before him and they were more than eighty persons. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) accepted their excuses on the very face of them and accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and left their secret (intentions) to Allah, until I presented myself to him. I greeted him and he smiled and there was a tinge of anger in that. He (the Holy Prophet) then said to me: Come forward. I went forward until I sat in front of him. He said to me: What kept you back? Could you not afford to go in for a ride? I said: Allah's Messenger, by Allah, if I were to sit in the presence of anybody else from amongst the worldly people I would have definitely saved myself from his anger on one pretext (or the other) and I have also the knack to fall into argumentation, but, by Allah, I am fully aware of the fact that if I were to put forward before you a false excuse to please you Allah would definitely provoke your wrath upon me, and if I speak the truth you may be annoyed with me, but I hope that Allah would make its end well and, by Allah, there is no valid excuse for me. By Allah, I never possessed so good means, and I never had such favourable conditions for me as I had when I stayed behind you (failed to join the expedition). Thereupon, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: This man told the truth, so get up until Allah gives a decision in your case. I stood up and some people of Banu' Salama followed me in hot haste, and they said to me: By Allah, we do not know about you that you committed a sin prior to this. You, however, showed inability to put forward an excuse before Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as those who stayed behind him have put forward excuses. It would have been enough for the forgiveness of your sin that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) would have sought forgiveness for you. By Allah, they continued to incite me until I thought of going back to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and contradict myself. Then I said to them: Has anyone else also met the same fate? They said: Yes, two persons have met the same fate as has fallen to you and they have made the sane statement as you have made, and the same verdict has been delivered in their case as it has been delivered in your case. I said: Who are they? They said: Murara b. ar-Rabi'a 'Amiri and Hilal b. Umayya al-Waqafi. They made a mention of these two pious persons to me who had participated in the Battle of Badr and there was an example for me in them. I went away when they named these two persons. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) forbade the Nluslims to talk with three of us from amongst those (persons) who had stayed behind him. The people began to avoid us and their attitude towards us underwent a change and it seemed as if the whole atmosphere had turned (hostile) against us and it was in fact the same atmosphere ot which I was fully aware and in which I had lived (for a fairly long time). We spent fifty nights in this very state and my two friends confined themselves withen their houses and spent (most of the) time in weeping, but as I was young and strong amongst them I got (out of my house), participated in congregational prayers, moved about in the bazar; but none spoke to me. I came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as he sat amongst (people) after the prayer, greeted him and asked myself whether his lips stirred in response to my greetings (or not). Then I observed prayer beside him and looked at him with stealing glances and when I attended to my prayer, he looked at me and when I cast a glance at him he turned away his eyes from me. And when the harsh treatment of the Muslims towards me extended to a (considerable) length of time, I walked until I climbed upon the wall of the garden of Abu Qatada, and he was my cousin, and I had the greatest love for him. I greeted him but, by Allah, he did not respond to my greetings. I said to him: Abu Qatada, I adjure you by Allah, arn't you well aware of the fact that I love Allah and His Messenger (may peace be upon him) the most. He kept quiet. I again repeated saying: I adjure you by Allah. arn't you well aware of the fact that I love Allah and His Messenger (may peace be upon him) the most. He kept quiet. I again adjured him, whereupon he said: Allah and the Messenger (may peace be upon him) are best aware of it. My eyes began to shed tears and I came back climbing down from the wall and as I was walking in the bazar of Medina a Nabatean from amongst the Nabateans of Syria, who had come to sell foodgrains in Medina, asked people to direct him to Ka'b b. Malik. People gave him the indication by pointing towards me. He came to me and delivered to me a letter of the King of Ghassan and as I was a scribe I read that letter and it was written like this:" Coming to my point, it has been conveyed to us that your friend (the Holy Prophet) is subjecting you to cruelty and Allah has not created you for a place where you are to be degraded and where you cannot find your right place, so you come to us that we should accord you honour. As I read that letter I said: This is also a calamity, so I burnt it in the oven. When out of the fifty days, forty days had passed and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) received no revelation, there came the messenger of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) to me and said: Verily, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has commanded you to remain separate from your wife. I said: Should I divorce her or what (else) should I do? He said: No, but only remain separate from her and don't have sexual contact with her. The same message was sent to my companions. So I said to my wife: You better go to your parents and stay there with them until Allah gives the decision in my case. The wife of Hilal b. Umayya came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Messenger, Hilal b. Umayya is a senile person, he has no servant. Do you disapprove of my serving him? He said: No, but don't go near him. She said: By Allah, he has no such instinct in him. By Allah, he spends his time in weeping from that day to this day. Some of the members of my family said to me: Were you to seek permission from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in regard to your wife as he has granted permission to the wife of Hilal b. Umayya to serve him. I said: I would not seek permission from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), for I cannot say what Allah's Apostle may say in response to seeking my permission. Moreover, I am a young man. It was in this state that I spent ten more nights and thus fifty nights had passed that (people) had observed boycott with us. It was on the morning of the fiftieth night that I observed my dawn prayer and was sitting on one of the roofs of our houses. And I was in fact sitting in that very state which Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has described about us in these words:" Life had become hard for myself and the earth had compressed despite its vastness," that I heard the noise of an announcer from the peak of the hill of Sal' saying at the top of his voice: Ka'b b. Malik, there is glad tidings for you. I fell down in prostration and came to realise that there was (a message of) relief for me. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had informed the people of the acceptance of our repentance by Allah as he offered the dawn prayer. So the people went on to give us glad tidings and some of them went to my friends in order to give them the glad tidings and a person galloped his horse and came from the tribe of Aslam and his horse reached me more quickly than his voice. And when he came to me whose sound I heard, he gave me the glad tidings. I took off my clothes and clothed him with them because of his bringing good news to me and, by Allah, I possessed nothing else (in the form of clothes) than these two on that occasion, and I asked one to lend me two clothes and dressed myself in them. I came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and on my way I met groups of people who greeted me because of (the acceptance of) repentance and they said: Here is a greeting for you for your repentance being accepted by Allah. (I moved on) until I came to the mosque and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had been sitting there amongst persons. So Talha b. 'Ubaidullah got up and rushed towards me and he shook hands with me and greeted me and, by Allah, no person stood up (to greet me) from amongst the emigrants except he. Ka'b said that he never forgot (this good gesture of) Talha. Ka'b further said: I greeted Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) with Assalam-o-'Alaikam and his face was glistening because of delight, and he said: Let there be glad tidings and blessings for you, the like of which (you have neither found nor you will find, as you find today) since your mother gave your birth. I said: Allah's Messenger. is this acceptance of repentance from you or from Allah? He said: No, (it is not from ma), it is from Allah, and it was common with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) that as he was happy his face brightened up and it looked like a part of the moon and it was from this that we recognised it (his delight). As I sat before him, I said: Allah's Messenger, am I allowed to give in charity my wealth for Allah's sake and for the sake of His Messenger (may peace be upon him)? Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Keep some property with you as it is better for you. I said: I shall keep with me that part (of my property) which fell to my lot (on the occasion of the expedition of) Khaibar. I said: Allah's Messenger, verily, Allah has granted me salvation because of truth and, therefore, (I think) that repentance implies that I should not speak anything but truth as long as I live. He said: By Allah, I do not know whether anyone amongst the Muslims was put to more severe trial than I by Allah because of telling the truth. And since I made a mention of this to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) up to this day I have not told any lie and, by Allah, I have decided not to tell a lie and I hope that Allah would save me (from trials) for the rest of my life and Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed these verses:" Certainly, Allah has turned in Mercy to the Prophet and the emigrants and the helpers who followed him in the hour of hardship after the hearts of a part of them were about to deviate; then He turned to them in mercy. Surely, to them He is Compassionate, Merciful and (He turned in Mercy) to the three who were left behind until the earth despite its vastness became strait for them and their souls were also straitened to them." And this revelation reached up to the (words):" O you who believe, develop God consciousness, and be with the truthful" (ix. 117-118). Ka'b said: By Allah, since Allah directed me to Islam there has been no blessing more significant for me than this truth of mine which I spoke to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and if I were to tell a lie I would have been ruined as were ruined those who told lies, for in regard to those who told lies Allah used harshest words used for anyone as He descended revelation (and the words of Allah are):" They will swear by Allah to you when you return to them so that you may leave them alone. So leave them alone. Surely, they are unclean and their resort is Hell, recompense for what they earned. They will swear to you that you may be pleased with them but if you are pleased with them, yet surely Allah is not pleased with the transgressing people" (ix. 95-96). K'ab said that the matter of us three persons was deferred as compared with those who took an oath in the presence of Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) and he accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and Allah did not give any decision in regard to us. It was Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, Who gave decisions in our case, three who remained behind. (The words of the Qur'an)" the three who were left behind" do not mean that we remained back from Jihad but these imply that He kept our matter behind them who took oath and presented excuse before Him. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Bukayr ibn Abdullah al-Ashajj informed him that Muawiya ibn Abi Ayyash al- Ansari told him that he was sitting with Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr and Asim ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab when Muhammad ibn Iyas ibn al-Bukayr came up to them and said, "A man from the desert has divorced his wife three times before consummating the marriage, what do you think?" Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said "This is something about which we have no statement. Go to Abdullah ibn Abbas and Abu Hurayra. I left them with A'isha. Ask them and then come and tell us." He went and asked them. Ibn Abbas said to Abu Hurayra, "Give an opinion, Abu Hurayra! A difficult one has come to you." Abu Hurayra said, "One pronouncement separates her and three makes her haram until she has married another husband." Ibn Abbas said the like of that.

Malik said, "That is what is done among us, and when a man marries a woman who has been married before, and he has not had intercourse with her, she is treated as a virgin - one pronouncement separates her and three make her haram until she has married another husband."

Allah's Messenger, the good would reach everyone but it would not reach these two. He said: Why so? I said: Because you have invoked curse and hurled malediction upon both of them. He said: Don't you know that I have made condition with my Lord saying thus: O Allah, I am a human being and that for a Muslim upon whom I invoke curse or hurl malediction make it a source of purity and reward.